Ed. Note: During August, Fig City News conducted interviews with each of the 10 School Committee candidates who are running in competitive elections. This notice was sent to all candidates prior to the interviews. All interviews were completed before any were published.
You’re not the only candidate to have gone to NPS, but you’re a relatively recent one. When did you graduate, and what are your views on NPS given that newer perspective?
I graduated in 2019. I was in the last graduating class of public schools right before the pandemic hit. I went through the school system before the world changed. My sister and I both went through NPS special education programs and I know that can be really great. I’m also aware of the gaps that were there, but I’m also expanded due to the changing world that we’re in. Overall, I’m very grateful to have gone through public education, it really prepared me for real world experiences and ultimately running for School Committee now.
What special education program were you in?
I was on a 504 plan. I had a little bit of extra support going through it. I also was lucky enough to go through the integrated preschool program at NECP (Newton Early Childhood Program).
You said that those experiences helped prepare you to run for School Committee. How so?
This is my first time running for elected office. By learning – from these Newton Public Schools, through these programs – that not everyone has the same experience, but having respect for one another, as we go through our processes in life – I have really taken a lot of that into my daily life, and especially understanding that we might not all come from the same lived experience, but we have to respect each other’s backgrounds and be okay to agree to disagree, which is not easy sometimes. I don’t necessarily have everyone’s lived experience or the average reader’s lived experience, but I’m always willing to learn and listen. That’s something I tie back to my experiences in NPS.
What did you experience at NPS that is causing you now to say you have the ability to work with all kinds of different people?
One thing I will highlight is I was lucky enough to go through Career Tech ed programs, specifically the Graphics Communication program with Tom Donnellan, a teacher that many people know. He’s been there for a really long time. That program runs as a print shop for Newton Public Schools with real-clients who need a project designed,printed and produced, and you’re going through that process as a kid. Learning how to have that face-to-face interaction with people, responding to emails, having deadlines, really helped me prepare for having a real job. I worked my way through college. One thing I always say to kids going through NPS and going to Newton North is: “Really take advantage of our career and tech ed programs because that’s a hidden gem.
Where did you work while you were in college?
I ran a youth lacrosse company. I did their office management, coordinating for a lot of families. helping facilitate their college program, setting them up with a college counselor, things like that. So that was a big part of my life as I worked through college.
Your campaign website talks about social emotional learning, and you say that you want to integrate it into the curriculum. How is it currently being done, and what would you advocate for, that is different from today?
I want to clarify because I know the School Committee really doesn’t touch curricula in their day-to-day job. Budgets are a constraint for having counselors more rapidly available, and more adequately staffed in our schools. I have friends who are counselors in our schools, I hear from families who have gone through some of our programs, like the pilot program at the high school level. Adequate levels of counseling and available resources to our students is something I advocate for. My sister and I both had our own issues through NPS and I want to make sure that every student, no matter whether they have the funds to have privatized resources, or kids who are really relying on our school systems, they’re both having access to those resources..
What is the pilot program, and is it something that’s here today, or was when you were a student, or both?
It’s still an active program in the Newton Public Schools. It’s at the high school level, kind of a behavioral subset program. It’s not when you’re neurodivergent, it’s more focused on behavioral issues. I didn’t go through the program, but I have friends who work in the program now. The program itself focuses on behavioral and specific learning. I’ve had family and friends who have gone through the program as well.
As you mentioned, there’s budget constraints on adding more counselors to the school. What were your views on last spring’s budget process?
In 2020, there were a lot of Zooms about this boulder that was coming down the pipeline of the NPS budget. We’re in a unique time with a lot of other outside factors, especially at the federal and state levels, with budget uncertainty. It’s definitely a big concern. The current School Committee chair, Chris Brezski, and Dr. Nolin did a really good job advocating for the budget and working to unite the teachers, the families, in a time where things haven’t been easy. I think they’ve done a great job. One of the big questions I’ve gotten asked campaigning is would I support an override? I think it’s irresponsible to talk about an override. I wouldn’t be opposed to it, to get us to the right operating levels, but we need to make sure that we’re working with the School Committee, with the City Council, with the Mayor’s office, to make sure we’re pulling every lever and looking at our budget as a whole for the City before we go out and ask for one. For my day job, I work for an environmental nonprofit doing municipal policy, working with DPWs, looking at their budgets, finding money that really isn’t there to implement climate-resilient policy. I’m hoping to bring that unique perspective to make sure that we’re course correcting, but also setting ourselves for long-term sustainability because patching our schools with one-time funding isn’t sustainable for our students.
Could you explain the phrase “finding money that really isn’t there”?
It’s more in the sense of“are we being most efficient with the money that we currently have allocated?” Maybe we don’t need the exact amount of money for a certain program, and money left over can be designated to a different program. We need to make sure that all accessible funds are being efficiently used.
Anna Nolin said many times during the spring that any cuts were cutting into bone, that there was nothing left to reallocate. You’re now discussing efficiencies. Where are you seeing room for efficiencies?
She is one of the experts on the NPS budget. It’s her full time job to make sure we’re allocating all of our funds accurately and efficiently. I don’t doubt anything she says. For me, it’s working with the Council and working with the Mayor’s office about how more money is allocated, because I think there’s a lot of conversation about how we find that money to make sure that we’re at a good operating level. It’s not just within the school’s budget, but also working with our allies in the Council, in the Mayor’s office. We have to work together to get our students everything they need.
Regarding DEI, your website says you’ll advocate for affirming environments for students, especially those from historically marginalized communities. Do you think that’s not currently happening and there needs to be change in that direction?
No, I definitely think it is happening already in public schools, but I think about in a family. My mother’s family were immigrants here in Newton. She’s the first American born out of eight siblings. She was bullied for speaking her Italian language when she went to NPS. So DEI is very close to my heart. I think we can be measuring that the policies that we currently have implemented are accurately working for the kids that it affects and not disproportionately hurting other kids as well.
What’s a DEI policy that you would look at to ensure that it was doing as intended?
People have differences of opinions on this, but I think about the leveling. I didn’t have multi-level classes when I was in school. I just had separate classes. We’re now bringing in three subsets of kids – some lower than average, some average, some higher. This program is designed to help the kids that are lower than average to accelerate their learning and catch up. It’s not working based on the data that’s been shown, especially for the kids that really need it. I would take a hard look at what we can do better in that program, because it puts an unfair burden on every kid that’s involved.The kids who are at that higher level may feel like they don’t want to ask a question in that class because they don’t want to make their peers feel less advanced. But the kids that are on the lower end of the spectrum might feel embarrassed to ask a question. I know that when I went through school, if I knew there was a kid smarter than me, I was more hesitant to raise my hand and ask a question.That might not necessarily be most people’s example of a DEI issue, but for me, that’s a perfect example. We need to be measuring that kids who are at a disadvantage aren’t being left behind even more so, and kids that are not at that disadvantage aren’t being held back.
What enabled you to overcome fear of asking a question that might be perceived as out of place?
I come from the neighborhood of Nonantum. It’s a very strong, encouraging neighborhood, and I was lucky to have people help me advocate for myself. I also learned that from NPS teachers. I gained a lot of confidence over the years, and. founded a nonprofit in Newton.I have to be able to ask hard questions to make sure that my organization is going in the right direction. So for me, it really came from the adults around me.
You highlight being from Nonantum and coming from a working class family. Why is that important or relevant for the School Committee? Is someone not from a working class family less qualified than you?
I wouldn’t say that, but I think it’s a unique perspective. We have a range of socioeconomic backgrounds of families in NPS, and not just in Nonantum. They could be anywhere in the city. As somebody who went through the school system from a working class family, there was no plan B for me. If the public schools weren’t working for me, my parents wouldn’t be able to pull me out and into private school. I had a great experience through different public schools, but I know that there were kids that may not have had the same experience, and I think as someone who went through it knowing that this was the only option, I can bring in a perspective that this should be the crown jewel for our city. We’ve always been known for our education, and we should not have families feeling like they have to leave NPS because it’s not working for them.
You said you had a great experience at NPS, with a lot of support that you look back on fondly. Can you connect that with your saying now that families are leaving?
I know there has been a frustration on families, especially since COVID, of what level the school system is for their kids, but I don’t think the schools are doing a bad job. If I had kids, I would still send them to NPS. I have friends who have kids who are sending their kids to public schools. I’m very big on public education and having it be the best it can be. That mindset can be distracted sometimes by outside factors, and that can be from COVID and from other things that have happened in our city. That’s a guiding force for me to bring that back to our schools.
What would you say to a voter that meets you, goes to your website, and says to themselves, “Arri is very enthusiastic, she knows a lot about recent NPS education, and she cares about the schools and Newton. I wonder if she has enough experience?”
I would say that I have the right amount of experience. I just went through NPS.I know the ins and outs, but I also have the experience of my family and myself. We’ve been dedicated to the city for a very long time. We’ve been involved in various nonprofits focused on putting kids first. In my day job, I go into communities throughout all of the watershed for Charles River, and I work with cities and towns and community members to get them on board with a policy they might not necessarily understand. And that’s no small feat. .That’s what I can bring back to Newton Public Schools. I’m willing to work with you to help you understand why I think I have the right amount of experience, but also when it comes to implementing policies and making those hard decisions, I want to understand your perspective. I’ll give you mine, and we can work together to find common ground to give the kids the best experience in Newton Public Schools.
You’ve referenced your day job. What do you do?
I am a community organizer for the Charles River Watershed Association. I work a lot with our communities in our watershed, with residents, and I also work very heavily on municipal policy, working with elected officials throughout the watershed, including Newton, to talk about climate-resilient policies that we can be adopting.
What are climate-resilient policies we can be adopting?
For example, Newton has a pretty strong tree policy, but I could be working with a town in our upper watershed to help strengthen tree production, focusing on heat islands and things like that.
How did you experience the teacher’s strike? If you’re elected, how would you prevent another one?
I got to witness the strike on the side of things. I don’t have kids in the schools. I’m 24. But I saw how my neighborhood was affected by it. I was lucky enough to say, “Hey, you can drop your kid off to me if you have to go to school.” I really saw you have to go to work, and how those kids were being affected. I was not supportive of the teacher’s strike. I come from a union family, my dad’s a Newton firefighter. There’s a reason that it’s illegal for teachers, police, and firefighters to strike in Massachusetts. And I think it really put our kids at a disadvantage. I can understand from a teacher’s perspective being out of contract. For my dad, firefighters were out of contract for years when I was growing up. I know what that process is like, but I also know when it comes to striking and how it affected those kids, and especially the kids with disabilities and special education needs, how long it took them to bounce back. And how, for an array of reasons, it tore apart the city of Newton and made people forget that we are neighbors and that we can work together. It was really disappointing to see that play out. If I am elected, one of the big things that we can do better is just remembering that we are neighbors, able to agree to disagree.
With the School Committee, there is a negotiating committee, so I don’t necessarily know if I would be on that, but one of the things I would definitely urge my fellow Committee members and myself to do is be transparent, be honest, working hard, not that that wasn’t already happening, but really trying to work with the community and the teachers to make sure that we’re doing what’s best to put kids first. We should have open and honest conversations with each other, because I don’t want to see the relationship between the teachers and the School Committee go back to where it was during this strike. I think we’re going to be in a better place in the next round of negotiations.
If the strike was the wrong move, with the benefit of hindsight, what should have happened? Should the NTA have signed the offer on the table the night before the strike?
I was not involved in any of that process, so I can’t make that decision for them. In hindsight, I think I would have continued to have conversations while keeping kids in school. After a certain point, everyone, even fellow teachers that I had talked to, just wanted to be back in school and back with the kids and giving the kids what they need. I think there would have been a way that we could have come to a consensus, like they did.
We generally avoid bringing people’s personal situations into these interviews, except if they put something about themselves on the table in campaigning. You’ve highlighted being a recent NPS graduate as a strength of yours. As you’ve said, you’re 24 years old. If you’re elected, how do you think about making sure that your voice is equally heard, working with a group of others older than you, including the superintendent. What will it actually be like for you on the committee?
I’ve already experienced this. I’m President of a nonprofit, and I do run a board now of about eight people as well. We range in different backgrounds and different ages. I always take a minute to listen, to hear other people’s perspectives. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to avoid speaking up. I want to hear from the experts. I know we have a lot of good educated people working for NPS and the Superintendent’s Office. But I am confident enough to raise a tough question, or ask someone to explain something to me. I want to work through to the root of the issue that we’re talking about. With eight people, there’s a lot of opinions, but I think if I am elected, I will go into it with a good mindset: We’re all there to work together, make sure that the kids are getting exactly what they need. I’m really looking to build those relationships with my fellow committee members and have that trust so they can value my opinion.
From having been to prior meetings, was there ever a moment or two where you observed something that the current or prior School Committees do or say something where you said to yourself, “I would have done that differently”?
I was very tuned into the process of the cell phone policy. Not that I agree fully with that policy, but for me at least, we need to also keep in mind that there are going to be effects of social media. As someone who went through the school system with social media, even though we’re telling kids to not have their phones out during the school day, there’s still going to be effects of social media outside of school time. So when we’re talking about cell phones and what we can do in schools, it goes back to making sure we’re also giving resources for kids when there are social media issues out of school.
Could you connect the dots between the cell phone ban and the effects of social media?
At the high school level there are times where they can still access their phones, which is understandable. So we’re still leaving that opportunity for the high schoolers to still have those effects of social media play out during the school day. I know what it was like to go through high school with social media, having my phone in between classes. I would have taken a pause and asked “Is there a better way we can be handling that at the high school level?”
Better meaning more restrictive?
Yes, more restrictive. As much as I understand parents and families wanting to have kids to have access to their phones during the school day, I know it can be a real distraction, and maybe it’s not just social media, but it’s text between friends, things that are happening in other parts of the schools, especially at the high school level. “Kids said this about me,” – something like that. It can really impact your day-to-day learning. It’s a hard situation, but I would have just taken more of a pause with it, making sure that we’re doing everything we can.
Is there anything that we haven’t covered that you would like to convey?
You mentioned I am the youngest candidate for School Committee, and I know that can be seen as a disadvantage for some people to be a representative on the School Committee. For me, I’m just going to say that I think it is a really unique advantage to be that voice for kids on the School Committee and also to understand that I came from a family for which there was no plan B besides Newton Public Schools. So I was all in on it. I still am all in on it. And if I elected, I can be that voice for students and families.
